It’s been a busy year for many Americans, and we all look — no offense — like unemployed slackers with no hobbies or prospects compared to Ariana Grande, whose every month of 2023 has featured either a life-changing creative experience, million-dollar business deal, or historic act of labor solidarity.
At some point Grande was given a weekend off, and she spent it not in bed, nor on the beach, but in the studio, re-recording songs from her first album, Yours Truly, for a 10-year-anniversary edition that will drop on August 25. “As a surprise for my fans,” Grande tells Allure, her voice sweet and lightly fried. She felt strange, traveling across a decade of pop stardom in the space of a weekend. “It’s like, I was so young,” she says. “But I knew exactly what I wanted.” Then she laughs.
Then there’s the Wicked movie, which Grande has been filming since 2022 and which is currently on pause due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. She can’t talk about playing Galinda the Good Witch even if she wants to, and she seems like she kind of wants to: Her Zoom username is “galinda;” her hand bears a freshly inked tattoo of the character from the L. Frank Baum books; at one point during our short conversation, she alludes to “one of the most deeply special and transformative and fulfilling experiences of my creative life in London [from] the past year and a half.”
Instead, the one thing she really wanted to discuss was the new Sweetener Foundation from her makeup line, r.e.m. beauty, which launches August 24.
Allure first met Grande in 2021, when she launched r.e.m. beauty, the result of a licensing deal with the beauty incubator Forma Brands. Recently, Grande bought back all of r.e.m. beauty’s physical assets. She speaks about the move with a gentle decisiveness, like a parent explaining divorce to their child: “When you recognize that things aren't working, you have to put your heads together and try to respectfully figure it out,” Grande said. What she didn’t say: Forma Brands filed for bankruptcy in January 2023, owing nearly $900 million to investors, according to the Wall Street Journal. Grande purchased r.e.m.'s inventory for a reported $15 million, and the brand installed Michelle Shigemasa, formerly of Smashbox and Murad, as its new chief executive. “I love her so much,” Grande said. “And, yeah, those things are always really tricky, but it was all very loving and respectful. Everyone wants what's best for r.e.m.”
The foundation launches in 60 shades, and Grande particularly praises the formula’s buildability — one pump, she says, is light enough not to obscure freckles, while one and a half pumps is capable of providing a “full-beat.” She also emphasizes its skin-friendly ingredients, including niacinamide and a smoothing mix of silicones, squalane, and glycerin.
Above all, Grande sees the foundation as a touchpoint with her millions of fans; A small gift from her to you. “I'm very interested to know what people think and feel, and I'm also excited to show up in person more and be able to have those conversations in real life more. Since launch, I've been…” She gives a pause, indicating something she maybe wants to say but cannot, “working on one thing. It feels good to know that I'll be able to dig in a little bit more.”
In celebration of r.e.m.’s latest launch, Grande submitted herself generously to Allure’s rapid-fire beauty questionnaire, Just Asking.
Allure: What is your greatest beauty extravagance?
Grande: I mean, my favorite thing in the whole world is a long bath. I'm a Cancer: watery, must be submerged as long, as often as possible.
Allure: What’s the most weirdly specific part of your beauty routine?
Grande: My button-nose contour. I put a little stripe here [gestures to the tip of her nose]. Sometimes it's way too visible. Sorry! It's so cute to me.
Allure: How long does your skin care take from start to finish?
Grande: It’s not as extensive as it probably should be. Maybe five minutes if I do it well.
Allure: What was your happiest hair moment?
Grande: …Well, there are two answers. I think the best version of my ponytail is the lower, shorter one, like the one that I wore often on The Voice. I really am fond of that ponytail. And then also Galinda’s hair.
Allure: What’s the most used item in your makeup bag?
Grande: [The fastest answer she gave in this interview by far] Lip gloss.
Allure: What’s the most unexpected item in your makeup bag?
Grande: Maybe my contact lenses? I still always squint anyway, so people don't think I'm wearing them. [Laughs] But I've been wearing contacts for years, I promise. I pinky-promise!
Allure: What’s your favorite beauty tip to ignore?
Grande: All of them. I feel like beauty is specific to oneself. And there are no trends that you need to do or not do. It's all about whatever feels best.
Allure: If you got another tattoo, you’d get a ____ on your _____.
Grande: That’s hard because when they come to me, I just get them. This one I knew I wanted to get for a very long time. This is my most recent one. [She holds up the back of her inked-out right hand] It's Glinda from the original L. Frank Baum book. I waited forever to fill up this hand. And I thought, “I'm gonna wait for the right thing to come along,” and yeah, that felt very right.
Allure: What do you smell like right now?
Grande: A mixture of Mod Vanilla [Grande’s latest fragrance, through a license with Lux Brands], some coffee [Starbucks cold brew, by all Zoom screen appearances], and Toulouse [her beagle-chihuahua mix], who is right here and was sleeping on my chest.
Allure: How do you apply fragrance?
Grande: Drench my entire self. Like, shiny chest, like, literally wet chest. I am not kidding. And I do not stop applying.
More on Ariana Grande:
- The Business of Being Ariana Grande
- Ariana Grande Poked Fun at Her Old Makeup Routine in a Very Y2K Manicure
- Ariana Grande's Freckles Are on Full Display in Her Latest Makeup Tutorial
Now, watch Ariana break down her best music video looks:
